HK, Macao assured of safe produce

Updated: 2012-01-02 07:57

(China Daily)

BEIJING - The central government has pledged to provide enough safe agricultural products to Hong Kong and Macao during the Spring Festival.

According to the Ministry of Commerce, from January to November last year, the mainland provided $4.95 billion worth of agricultural products to Hong Kong, a year-on-year increase of 32 percent. Meanwhile, it provided $240 million of products to Macao, an increase of 22 percent.

Wenjindu port in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, which has seen the largest amount of mainland agricultural products bound for Hong Kong, witnessed 824,000 tons of fresh products worth $770 million from last January to November.

Guangdong province, which is one of the mainland bases to ensure Hong Kong has enough of the agricultural products that it needs, delivers 450 trucks and more than 10 ships of fresh vegetables and meat to Hong Kong every day.

The central government is also stressing the safety of the products to the two special administrative regions.

Guangdong quarantine authorities have registered all farms that provide products to Hong Kong and Macao, and conducts food inspection all the way from the farm to when it is "put on the dinner table."

So is the case in Henan.

Since 2003, it takes only a day and a half for trucks to run from Henan to Shenzhen before people unload and ship the livestock down south. All of Henan's farms that cultivate livestock for Hong Kong were registered and approved by the country's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Also, Central China's Hunan province's 65 farms that raise pigs for Hong Kong and Macao are all registered to make sure the pork meets the standard set by Hong Kong and Macao's local quarantine authorities.

"As a Hong Kong citizen, I would like to say thank you to the central government," said Ip Kwok-him, member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, stressing the fact that the central government makes sure that enough quality farm products arrive in Hong Kong, though mainland also faces large demand during the Spring Festival.

Zhang Shuo, a Hong Kong resident, also said he feels lucky to enjoy various kinds of vegetable, fruits and other farm products at reasonable prices.

"Farm products are always largely consumed when it comes to the Spring Festival. But Hong Kong enjoys stable amount of them at this time, which fills us with gratitude for the central government's care."